Credit: Maxwell Reil/LevittownNow.com
A prevention-based coalition developed to support positive youth development in Bristol Borough and Bristol Township is meeting multiple times throughout the rest of the year with the goal of helping students and parents in the community.
The Bristol Cares Coalition, which kicked off at the beginning of 2019, is sponsoring and supporting local town hall meetings and events for students and their parents.
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“The goal is to benefit all children in Bristol Township and Bristol Borough by having events geared toward families and creating bonding,” said Damita Harvey, prevention manager at No Longer Bound and organizer for the new coalition. “We want to make sure there are opportunities for the youth and to have opportunities to create bonding with their families and their schools.”
The coalition meets almost every month, Harvey said.
Upcoming events include the “Talk: They Hear You” town hall meeting with Dr. Debra Van Aken, a licensed psychologist in New Hope who will answer questions from local parents about how to talk to their kids. Bristol Cares Coalition will be sponsoring the event, which will take place Oct. 23 at 6 p.m. at the Bristol Township School Administration Building at 5 Blue Lake Road in Levittown.
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Another upcoming event the coalition will help support and sponsor is the “Guiding Good Choices” session, which is a series of workshops to help parents or guardians who are currently raising children between the ages of 9-14. The next session takes place Oct. 29 at 6 p.m. at Mill Creek Elementary located at 6501 Mill Creek Road in Levittown.
The goal for Bristol Cares Coalition is to continue to boost its network of volunteers, seminar attendees, parents and, of course, students.
“The work that they’ve been putting together, we’re looking to get students involved in volunteerism, linking them with local businesses and agencies, which will give them a better understanding and help them identify goals for their future,” said Lou DeFonteny, director of special education and pupil services for the Bristol Township School District. “As a product of Bristol Township and having grown up here and now working here in the district for 27 years, the Bristol Cares Coalition offers a lot of opportunities for the students outside of the school district.”
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Along with providing new opportunities to students and uniting school communities, Damita Harvey said that another positive goal that other similar coalitions have seen is a decrease in underage alcohol and tobacco use with students.
Harvey said that an average of 14 to 20 members have attended recent monthly meetings. Some locations have included the Norton Avenue First Baptist Church, the Grundy Library, the Levittown Library and the Bristol Township School District building. She said that she hopes to see that number increase through the end of 2019.
“Right now we have no funding, we just started up as a volunteer basis. We wanted to make sure we have the foundation first. I’m overwhelmed with those participating and making this dream becoming a reality. We believe all the communities in Bristol deserve an organization like Bristol Cares Coalition,” Harvey said.
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